Variable Skin Color Above Mouth

Blotchy or Discolored Skin Above The Mouth

Discolored skin above the mouth is a readout for digestive disorders. As the photos below show, when something is going on in your gut, the skin color surrounding your mouth announces it. Off-colors include white, yellow, red, blue, green or grey and each color suggests a different inner imbalance. Here’s how Chinese Face Reading takes the guesswork out of eating well.

A suntan notwithstanding, the skin on your face ideally is the same color as the rest of your torso. By examining color photos from before the 1950s and the advent of the modern diet, we see that people once had uniformly colored skin. See: Face Color Different than Neck Color. But look closely at the faces around you to see a veritable rainbow of subtle color variations. Blotchy skin and pigmentation irregularities around the mouth reveal digestive issues.

Pallette of Colors Above the Lip

While two of most common colors seen above the mouth are red and white, you’ll also see other colors that obscure the normal skin tone. Red indicates inflammation of the upper GI tract such as acid reflux, GERD and/or heartburn. The color white suggests malabsorption and food sensitivities. Here are some examples:

In the photo on the left, note the large white border above this client’s mouth that curve beyond the corners of her mouth. She reports having suffered from stomach problems since childhood. Look carefully, and you’ll also see pink skin above her lip, especially in the central region.

On the right, we see four distinct color zones stacked above this woman’s lip. Her primary complaints included GERD and IBS. As a first step, I urged her to go dairy free; she reported immediate relief.
1. There’s a thin white border that extends above the top lip.
2. A dark red zone lies above the white border.
3. The center (philtrum) is white.
4. Both sides of the philtrum are red/brown.

Green Skin Color above the Lip

When the color above the mouth is green, it suggests a challenged liver and digestion according to Chinese 5-Element medicine. We see this in the two following photos. Although the color is subtle on this 18-year old woman, she’d described her biggest issue as “…green skin around the mouth. I know it might not seem so in those photos, but it’s really very noticeable and has been since since I was 16.” She suffered from multiple food sensitivities that challenged her whole digestive system.

Green Skin Color Above Top Lip

Green Skin Color Around Mouth

When recovering from a tick bite a few years ago, the skin color around my mouth reflected the gastrointestinal drama. I felt green at the gills. In today’s photo below you’ll see the skin color around my lips is uniform and normal. Also my lips are similar in size, uniformly colored and have a clear definition. These features reveal healthy digestion and assimilation. Thanks be! Yes, I do have wrinkles around my mouth; they come with age:)

Normal Skin Color Around Lips

What is your above-the-lip skin color? If it’s different from the skin color on your torso, or if your lips lack uniform size and color and/or precise borders, it’s time to modify your diet. I freely provide such guidelines in my numerous blogs. With my eCourses, you’ll see how, and understand why, diet impacts facial characteristics. For personalized help identifying and implementing your optimum elimination diet, I’ll be delighted to read your face.

Hi there rebecca, a part of my bottom lip is lighter because when i was younger i used to peel my lips and now there is a part that is lighter, how can i darken it up again to make it look equal to the colour of the rest of my lip

I don’t see the correlation of peeling your lips in the past as causing the pigmentation to change. If you want your lips to have uniform color, I invite you to follow the links on my page for your DIY solutions.

There is no color change on the outside of my lips but there is a reddish color change due to daily burning of the inside of my upper lip. This also leaves swellings that look like hives or mosquito bites which never go away. I have been through allergy testing and other tests but nothing positive has been identified as the cause. Could this be related to a digestive issue?

Hi Rebecca, I am interested in consulting with you regarding lighter skin on my upper lip. One concern I have is regarding my current diet which is vegan and gluten-free due to several food intolerances. Before switching to a vegan and gluten-free diet, I had always been vegetarian. Please let me know if I will still have options under your diet plan.

Good questions, Amrita. If your current diet supports your health, you won’t have such discoloration. The odds are that you’ll need to eliminate something above and beyond gluten. What that might be, remains to be determined. Here’s what I can do: show you what your face is saying, make suggestions and then you discern your own path.

I wish I could tell you but knowing just this about you I’m not sure. I do know that a sign of good digestion is uniformly colored lips. If you care to explore this further, then with your photo and intake information, I can help you pinpoint the cause and discern the resolution.

Hello
The area above my mouth is really white in comparison to the rest of my face. It looks like i would have a white moustache, even in the winter when I am really pale you can see it.
I have it almost a year and dont know what to do. Before I had never problems with this things.
I would appreciate any help!

Larissa,
I’m sorry to hear of your problem. In my numerous blogs on this topic, I give all the general information about this discoloration. My eCourses have in-depth info. And in a Consultation, I can then see what is out of balance in your system and give you specific guidelines for restoring normal color. Each situation is different; this is the best I can offer. I hope this helps.

I’d love to give someone the resolution to her problem in a few lines. However, it just doesn’t work that way. While discoloration above the lip is commonplace today, the cause and resolution of it varies widely from person to person. My blogs contain the basic information. But for me to tell you specifically what is causing your discoloration, I’d need to see your intake info and to have your photo.

I have uneven looking lipline and white border on my lower lip,also there’s a white area below my bottom lip. I have been on an elimination diet for two months now. No sugar,no gluten, no dairy, no alcohol. But I see no difference in my face and now I don’t know how to proceed. I tried cutting out eggs also, but after two weeks I started to feel I get no protein from my diet. I’m a vegetarian and I don’t know how to proceed from here. I spend a month without coffee as well but I have introduced it back to my diet. I just don’t know how to proceed.

To answer you conclusively, I’d need to see your diet log and have your photo and intake form. But I’m concerned about your health–given how you describe your lips–and that you’re vegetarian. Dairy, grains and eggs are among the most problematic foods for people with digestive issues.

The concern you first wrote of: “uneven looking lipline and white border on my lower lip,also there’s a white area below my bottom lip.” clearly shows you have assimilation issues. It’s up to you to figure out which foods are problematic.

I’m sure you’ll understand that I can’t possibly know if quinoa is “good” for you. But with an elimination diet you’ll be able to determine for yourself the foods that best serve you. Enjoy the process and be patient with it.

Hi again and thanks for your help. I have been on plan C diet for a while, this is my third month. I’ kind of baffled with my assimilation issues, though. Sometimes my lips look better, sometimes worse, even during the same day and with similar foods eaten. Could there be something outside my digestion that contributes to this. And there’s one very positive thing I have noticed, the dark circles under my eyes I had for years have pretty much disappeared. I contribute that to my increased intake of leafy greens. So clearly I assimilate some vitamins.

Aum,
That’s just great that your dark circles are gone. Good work. I wish I were psychic and could tell you why your lips remain variable. I’m not. My hunch is that while you’ve nailed most of your healing diet, there’s still a piece to uncover. By looking at your food log, photo and intake information, I can then give guidance in a Face Reading. Or it’s up to you to determine if you’ve developed a cross reactivity to a food or that you need to eliminate amines, salicylates, glutamines or to try an SIBO or FODMAPS diet. I do hope this helps.

I am not entirely clear what you mean when you say reduce consumption of cold foods. Is eating fresh fruit is ok? Fruit that’s kept in room temperature? I’m trying to have a lot of fruit in my diet, since I keep losing weight and that’s not what I want. I really hope I get this whole thing resolved soon, because it has greatly affected my life and ruined quite a few trips and social gatherings, not to mention several birthdays, including mine.

It seems that even if I try to eat the foods recommended in your book ( I love to cook so I create my own dishes)it keeps getting worse. My dark circles are mostly gone but recently I have developed all kinds of skin rashes and other things as well. This is frustrating, not knowing what it is that is actually bothering me. Like today, after my dinner my lips looked paler and bluer but few hours later they look pinker again.

Yes, it is frustrating when you shift your diet and only see some positive results. Skin rashes are typically an indicator that you need to further identify and eliminate a problematic ingredient. I wish I could help you resolve the issues in this note but I simply don’t have enough information. I’d need to see your photo, have your diet log and intake information. Good luck.

Something made me think that there might be some candida issues that are behind my problems. I did not think of it before since I have not had the typical symptoms but I did have something weird going with my skin last year and now it suddenly appered again. What kind of dier would you recommedn for geting candida under control? I have read about GAPs diet and I’m wondering if it’s any good, or would SIBO or FODMAP diet also deal with that issue?

In my experience, candida is simply a symptom of underlying imbalance. A candida diet removes the symptoms but as soon as you go off the diet, the symptoms return and so it doesn’t resolve root cause. To help you with root cause, consider my books, blogs and/or a Face Reading Consultation.

Dear Aum, I’m sorry to hear about your candida issue. Kindly understand that there’s no possible way I can advise you about your diet unless I have all your photo, history and full list of symptoms. When there are skin issues, then often there’s an issue with salicylates or amines. I wish you a full and speedy recovery.

Hi…
i’ve been suffering this white color around my mouth down to my chin..
First, my problem started with my super dry lips and now my lips are well.. but my problem is this white color around my mouth..
PLEASE HELP, THANKS!

I’ve a got a problem. My upper lip is divided (horizontally) into two colors (dark brown opposed to pink) as well as my lower lip. It’s like my lip line is too dark than the rest of my whole outer lip. What should I do to remove this dark surrounding line?

Hi admin! I’m 16 yrs old, asian and born brown-skinned. I know that the vermilion border of my lips will always be uneven to my entire (pinkish) lip because I’m not a Caucasian, but is there such a treatment or a remedy to atleast lessen the uneven tone? Thanks!

Hello! I hope you can help me out.. I’ve went to several doctors but none of them take me seriously or try to find out what causes my problem. I am 22 years old and the red of my lips is dissapearing, so they get thinner and thinner. First one part of the lips gets white and then it becomes skin coloured. Like the red of my lips was never there. I really would appreciate it if you could help out! Thanks a lot!

Thank you very much Rebecca!
I really do appreciate all of the work that you do to helps us from our struggle…
I never thought of how food or the right diet could change ones overall feeling.
But now I know better because of you!
Thank you so much!
If I feel that I can’t handle it on my own I will come back to you!

Dear Rebecca,
I started an elimination diet. It has been day 4 for me and it has happened twice now that one of a sudden I felt super dizzy that even my head went down, without me having control over it…

Am I doing something wrong or is this normal?
Could it be that I am not having enough sugar?

I have 3 little bumps that look like these pictures when i pull my lips u can not see them but when my lips are sitting normal u can see them can u tell me if thats what this is and what can I do to get rid of them. They have been there for over 2 weeks they have not gotten worse or better.

Thanks for your clarification, will purchase your e book. Treating malabsorption can be tenuous at best. Thank you for providing the insight to manage our own health. All the very best to you, and you future clients 😉

Good questions. Correct, yellowish pigmentation suggest an imbalance with digestive organs. Yes, Read Your Face addresses this in terms of 5 Element Medicine. I’m happy to help you decode and devise a game plan in a face reading and diet consultation.

For about 5 years, the sides of my 59-year old father’s lower lip have had red and white spots. It looks like a color disorder. He’s tried homeopathy but the color is still there. Is there a treatment for this?

Lips that are uniform in both color are one indicator of a healthy digestive system. Color irregularities indicate that his current diet is not suiting his needs. When he adjusts his diet accordingly, the color should return to a uniform pink (if he is caucasian).

Admin the skin around my lips a white and my upper lip seems to be swollen as mentioned in the picture but theres 1 more my lips seem to be very dry i dont understand why my lips are dry i’ve been using this things that moisturize my lips but i does’nt seem to help what should i do

I woke up Saturday morning with a swollen top lip and swollen and red under my left eye.
The swelling got worse and my lips feel like rubber, dry, and cracked.
Now it’s Sunday night and the swelling is almost gone but my lips still feel weird and are very painful, and have had spots of purplish blue for a few hours.

Not sure what to do. I’ve also had tightness in my chest and even though I’ve been breathing ok, I feel like I’m not getting enough oxygen.
I will probably wait it out and call my doctor in the morning.

My lips are pink all the way around and it extends on my face. I am in sever pain due to this like they are on fire. I now how two blisters on the top middle. They are extremely inflame also. This began to happen off and on three years ago going through a divorce. This episode began on Sunday and has developed.

My son is 9 months. He is on nutramigen & rice cereal only due to an airway defect. He has been turning green around mouth. Upper & lower lip. He is on prilosec and pepcid meds for his reflux. Would this be his diet or possibly the medications?

Hi , So my problem is making me very uncomfortable and self conscious. The skin above my upper lip is of a white colour, lighter than the rest of my face. I try to cover it by making it darker using bronzer but then it gets an orange tint and the bronzer fades away during the day and it shows. Ive always tried to google what this is but it’s usually darkness that people have in that area , not white colour. Please help, thanks

Sara…yes, I can imagine that you’re feeling self-conscious. As I spell out in the materials quoted in this blog, it is diet related and so you have the power to “erase” that white color. You can do it.

Hello. I need some help! MI have noticed recently that the skin above my lip (mustache area) is lighter t h an the rest of my face. I have not changed any of my eating habits or products that I use on my face. Can you please help me find out why only this area of my face is lighter. I am getting very frustrated with this and do not want to leave the house.

Hello. I have greenish skin all around my mouth. According to you, it means I eat some kind of foods that I am not assimilating to, yes? I want to make clear is it the same as food intolerance? I have already bought your book Read Your Face, by the way.

Yes. Whether it’s a food intolerance, an allergy or a sensitivity, I’m not sure. But given the color that you report, there’s obviously something that is in your diet (and/or environment) that is challenging your gut.

I could use your help. I read a thread hear that talked about a red line developing above the lip that lasts for 2 days. I seem to have the same problem. Today i had broccoli and cheese soup and a huge red smudge developed immediately. Please hemp me.

Hi my lip line is losing pigmentation and I don’t know why can you help me with it. the lip line is really undefined and many spots on both upper and lower lip line are turning white. I found a website of people asking the same question but I can find the answer. Here is the website http://www.medhelp.org/posts/Dermatology/Lip-is-disappearing/show/976825
Please help, I feel self conscious about it!

I am not sure if this is linked to digestion but my skin is very light..i got a slight tan on my face…around my mouth is a more of a lighter white skin tone about half a centimeter in width. and above that on my upper lip my skin is slightly yellowish and it stops at the corners of my mouth and by the sides nose around the nostril area. My cheeks by my nose are really red so the red contrasts with the yellow. The yellow is not too noticeable but its bothering me because I notice it. I thought it was liver problems but my liver is healthy. I’m not sure if this was a digestion issue (my digestion track seems to work fine) or if its an awkward tan. Any ideas?

So I was looking at a picture I just took. I noticed that I have a perfect white outline around my entire mouth. I don’t have digestive issues. I don’t think. Could it be just from being in the sun? It looks funny. Like I put a nude color Lip liner. Would I be able to send a picture in?

That’s great that you don’t have digestive issues today. But with white showing around your mouth as you’ve described, continue with your current diet and they’ll manifest. Follow the directions in this blog for prevention.

I am 28 years old and it been almost 10 years I am having lip discoloration. Some parts of my upper and lower lips have dark patches and some parts are pink inconsistently. Its look very odd and I am really having issues. My family says I am very introvert and I don,t like to meet people.

I’m 14 years old and the sides of my top lip looks a little swollen. My lips were a pink color but now the top lip has also turned dark . On the bottom lip there’s a white patch in the middle. My lips also turn a purple-bluish color in the cold . Should I get this checked out ?? Thanks

I’m don’t know any MD who would pay attention to these symptoms. But here’s what you can do, adjust your diet and note how your lips change. I’ve the details in my book Clean and Free. In the meantime, make sure you’re wearing a warm coat when its cold. Or consider a consultation with me.

Hey. I have an issue with my lips turning dark with black splotches and/or rashes on and/or around my mouth anytime I eat anything acidic or with acidic contents (lemon juice, raw acv, cranberry juice, etc). Tomatoes actually causes darkness, rash, and blisters. Around my mouth is black as well. I am African American (dark complexion) so I don’t have any of the colors you state above (just black discoloration on/and around my mouth). It goes away fairly quickly if I don’t consume anything acidic but that is very tough. Acidic foods are almost in everything. And it’s crazy because all of these things are suppose to be extremely healthy. I didn’t have a problem with any of these things (except tomatoes) until I went natural/organic and started to consume them daily. Do I have to avoid these foods forever? What is the possible cause and how can I resolve this issue?? Thanks

Sounds like the dark color is an important health indicator for you. Fine tune your diet to your needs and then you should be able to enjoy acidic foods in moderation. I can help with a consultation or see my book Clean and Free.

I notice you mention a white-ish line around the top lip bt I seem to have a white swollen line around the sides of my bottom lip. It almost looks like my lip but with white colouring. I am intolerant to gluten and have been overindulging over christmas. Could this be a reaction to it? It feels almost itchy but I think this May be a phychosymatic reaction. Help

I have a greenish color around my upper and lower lip and it kind of looks like a mustache. I’m a girl and I wax my upper lip with a waxing cream yet the greenish color is still there. I don’t wax the bottom part by my chin et it still looks green. Also, right below my nose on the sides it’s this brownish color and it looks terrible. What can I do to permanently take that away?

The skin at the corners of my mouth has a small gray patch that is on the outside of my mouth only. What could be causing this. It isn’t painful. I have had perlene injections there for years. The patches have been there for about a year. I do have lots of stress and probably stomach problems. What kind of diet will help this? Or is there another issue I should research?
Thanks so much,
Kathryn

I have a problem the lower lip. Mine almost disappeared over the last several months. They were never thick just average, the right side has faded it is basically not there. I went from about 205 to 150 lbs 2 yrs ago, thru exercise. Walking starting running I cut out soda, dairy drink h20. 57 yrs old.I take anti depressants.

I had normal lips but from past two months the lining of my upper lip vertically below the tip of nose is turning swollen and brighter and appearing not like lip skin…..Whats the reason for this…thanks in advance

Hi I have a pink colour above my top lip never had it before im wanting to know what it is I was diagnosed with ceoliac disease 6 months ago and now im gluten free I have a allergy to wheat, Has this anything to do with my ceoliac or is it something else.

Yes, pinkish skin (sometimes it can also be irritated or chapped) clearly indicates that your diet needs further adjustment; in your case, eliminating wheat is only a partial resolution. I can help you in a Consultation or you can do it yourself with my book Read Your Face.

Hi, I’ve had whiter skin above my top lip for as long as I can remember and I hate it! It’s noticeably lighter than the rest of the face and I have to cover it with makeup and touch it up several times a day. Please help! I’m happy to send a photo if needed.

I have this white line above my lip and lower lip ever since I had chapped lips I put Chapstick on and the chapped parts dissapeared but now there is this white line above and under my lips please help

The white line is giving you the important information that you’ve a food sensitivity. You need to identify–and then remove–the foods in your diet that are causing this malabsorption problem. You can do so in a Diet Consultation with me.

Please help me. I have had eczema for a year on my face, arms and legs, and they recently cleared up except for that spot above my lips. When I move my lips (stretching it slightly) it feels tight and stings. Tiny cracks are opening and they don’t seem to heal. It’s an extreme disturbance. I don’t want to use steroids from the dermatologists anymore because everytime they disappear, then my skin only becomes thinner again and the issue recurs. What can I do?

Here’s what you can do. Figure out what the root cause of the eczema is and here’s a clue…diet is a principal factor. I can help you discern the cause in a diet consultation; or you could find the information in my ebooks, Read Your Face and/or Clean and Free.

Hi,
My father is 70 yrs. old and had his gall bladder removed approximatley 3 years ago. In the past 2 months I have noticed that he is developing a greenish-yellowish coloring on the side of his face. What could this indicate? He has also been having abodominal pain on his lower left side. In advance thank you for your response, I really appreciate it.

I recently noticed I have a brownish color above my lip and under my eyes. I have been eating very clean. I have doing the whole30 dietary program which is a paleo type diet but no sugar at all–not even natural–except fruit. I have been eating more meat because of this. I’ve also come off an anidepressant and am doing a yeast cleanse. What do you think is the cause of this and how can I correct it Thanks!

I trust you’ll understand that I can’t possibly give a sound answer with so little information. If you wish a consultation then we’ll have the time and tools to discern not only the cause of the discoloration but also the remedy.

Hi , last April my lips started to get inflammed, was severely dry andskin would come off. It was tingly too, I switched my toothpaste and my lips were better since then. But my skin around my mouth has turned white and is very noticeable , I have to keep it hydrated all the time otherwise it gets dry too. Please help.

If your yellow skin has anything to do with having been waxed, then I’m not sure. Otherwise, it’s not a pat answer but rather requires assessing the cause. You can do so with my book, Read Your Face, where you’ll find photos and information about facial skin color and how to adjust your diet to bring good results. Or you could contact me directly for a Face Reading consultation.

I have the red and white slight swelling around my lips recently. For the last year any lipstick has inflamed my lips and they calm down if I avoid it. But I feel it isn’t just lipstick that is the issue as they are irritable to spicy foods as well and sometimes salt/citrus.

I would dearly like to wear lipstick again. Yet I don’t understand why this has flared up as I’ve worn it for over 20 years.

I had a severe vitamin d deficiency which has been treated for a year now and is 32 in the normal range. Any advice would be appreciated. Thank you.

Hi. My upper lip and around my eyes (eye lids go yellow at the same time. It usually doesn’t last but I’ve noticed it occurring in 2 separate incidences this year. It’s really noticeable in photos which can lead to embarrassment. I’ve even been taking Liver Detox vitamins to no avail. Please help!
Also I have been suffering constipation for several months prior to this episode of what looks like jaundice.

Good observing! And isn’t it fascinating how our colors can change. One symptom is not enough for a full diagnosis. I’d be delighted to do a consultation with you or my ebook, Read Your FAce will walk you through self diagnosis. In either case, you’ll gain your Rx.

Hi, I came across this website, and might help me solve my condition.
My upper lip in the last 5 years or so have gone from a healthy red colour to gradually becoming more and more skin colour. It faintly started from inside the lip and is growing outwards. No one knows what it is, wondering if its diet related ? I have a pic i could send. Any help would be very much apprciated ! Thanks
Bob

Stop challenging your gut with foods you’re not assimilating well. I could tell you what they are specifically in a Diet Consultation where I see your diet log and Intake forms. Or you can figure it out on your own.

Rebecca,
What if the area in question is brown or purple (which is almost always the case in darker skinned women)?
Thanks for the information. I have been scouring books & blogs for years to no avail.

I’d need to see your photo to respond. Is it more brown/purple than the rest of the face? If so, this is a digestion indicator. But again, it’s one clue and hard to judge a face by one clue only.

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Healing From The Inside Out

Face Reading for Health

Do you have blue discoloration below your eyes that won’t go away? Or a white or yellow tint above your mouth? Your complexion reflects your well-being. With face reading you can resolve such issues by understanding their root cause and making targeted lifestyle adjustments. As an added benefit you will feel better and improve your longterm health!

Award-winning author and diet counselor Rebecca Wood has been helping people feel and look their best through face reading for 48 years. She delights in sharing this practical information and in seeing her clients’ faces brighten as they regain their inner glow.

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Information on www.RebeccaWood.com is intended for educational purposes only and should not be substituted for medical advice from a doctor or healthcare provider. Rebecca Wood is neither a medical doctor nor a dietician. Use of this presentation does not establish a doctor-patient relationship. Note: no single facial indicator (such as wrinkles, discoloration or irregular skin texture) makes a particular diagnosis.

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